The Nowhere Inn (2021) Movie Drinking Game
Down a Shot: for every costume change. I think St. Vincent might just have given Madonna’s Evita a run for her money in this.
Bite into a Lime and Wait for the Spinning to Subside: every time the lines between the real and the unreal begin to blur. Your head will be spinning in no time and it won’t be because you’re drunk, but rather due to the downright trippy nature of this movie. I told you it isn’t for everyone.
Down a Shot: every time Carrie Brownstein’s toothy grin lights up the screen. I’m a simple girl, ok? I see Carrie Brownstein, I simp.
Glug Back a Shot: for every mirror shot. Boy, I love a good mirror shot and this movie had me spoilt for choice with them!
Down a Shot: for every time St. Vincent sings. She has a voice that’s smoother than scotch and I might as well do myself a favour and check out her work on Spotify now.
By: Vidal D’costa (A Toast) –
I…erm, I’m not gonna lie, I’m definitely lost for words with this one. I’m still trying to comprehend what I’ve just watched and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to do a great job of explaining it to you, but here goes….
The Nowhere Inn is about two best friends- comedian Carrie Brownstein and songstress Annie Clark/St. Vincent. Annie wishes for her life to be captured by Carrie in the form of a documentary. However, once Carrie learns that her pal is anything but a total diva offstage like all the other rockstars out there but rather leans towards being a normie, nerdy homebody, she demands for Annie to act more wild and intense like her onstage persona to liven things up a bit…. Which is when both their lives begin to take a trippy and downright bizarre turn and they begin to lose grip on reality.
A Toast
To how visually stunning this movie is. Apart from a jarring storyline that keeps you hooked, a convoluted but strangely alluring non-linear narrative that heightens the weirdness and its straight up bizarre themes, The Nowhere Inn also features some beautiful camerawork (giving off major Ari Aster vibes at times), deliberately abrupt changes in aspect ratio, crisp editing, and glamorous production value, in particular the meticulously detailed set design, the colour palette that primarily comprises of almost every hue of green and orange, and, of course, St. Vincent/Annie’s costumes. Every look makes the rockstar come across as a total goddess and a fashion icon.
The movie also features some comedic moments that truly made me chuckle such as the awkward sex tape scene wherein St. Vincent forces a visibly uncomfortable Carrie to capture her making love to her girlfriend Dakota (played by Dakota Johnson), asking poor Carrie to film their lovemaking in the manner of exotic European erotica, only for Carrie to wryly retort whether they still want her to film the rest of the documentary in English. I also liked the blend of dark comedy and self-deprecating humour that make this movie seem like it could very well be the lovechild of the Lonely Island mockumentary Popstar and the Jim Carrey-starrer The Truman Show. And while it’s easy for me to draw comparisons with the aforementioned movies, I appreciate that The Nowhere Inn is still brimming with tons of originality and unpredictable moments.
I also loved the manner in which the characters and some scenes such as the ‘gimmicky and staged family get-together’ scene took jabs at the extent to which certain celeb documentaries and reality TV shows are staged. It does a great job of showcasing how emotionally exhausting, burdening, and full of scrutiny and criticism the life of a performer can be and how it is often difficult to steer clear of the two-sided nature of showbiz that makes one lose sight of their authenticity in the blinding limelight.
Among the performances, I felt that Carrie Brownstein delivered a sincere performance as a fictionalised version of herself, but it was a St. Vincent show through and through for me. Whether it is playing Annie, the geeky homebody who just wants to play Scrabble with her bandmates after an exhausting concert, or her aloof, manipulative, and pretentious alter ego St. Vincent, or even her second alter ego, a born and bred Texan with a Southern twang, the singer-songwriter and actor (who also penned the script with Brownstein) effortlessly steals the show. Clark does a great job of making one feel sympathetic towards a rockstar who is slowly losing sight of who she once was or who she is supposed to be, all for the sake of adding some spice and drama to her ‘lacklustre’ offstage persona. Her camaraderie with Brownstein, too, is a highlight of the movie and is very natural and endearing to watch.
Brownie points (or rather Brownstein points, geddit?) to the background score that helps in not only heightening the drama, but also enhances the charm and emotional quotient of certain scenes. The titular theme song in fact could very well be the next theme song to a Bond movie, so kudos to composer St. Vincent herself for a memorable soundtrack.
Verdict
The Nowhere Inn may not be for everyone, but it will certainly appeal to you if you’re a fan of trippy surrealistic movies featuring borderline caricaturish characters who seem like they live in a world of their own, in a similar vein to The Truman Show or to David Lynch’s work such as Twin Peaks.
